Sump well overflow is a great concern of property owners. Overflow flooding causes hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to buildings and personal property each year. While individual flood instances may not be severe, the cumulative damage from repeated flooding and drying causes permanent and severe damage to structures and property. When flooding is a regular occurrance, building occupants may be precluded from any use of valuable space subject to water damage.
The two most common types of flooding in buildings is due to sewer line overflow and sump well overflow. In both cases, overflow water exits from a well and enters the otherwise usable portions of the building. The major difference between sewer and sump overflows is the weather related effects on sump system overflows. Sewer line overflow results from any backup in the sewer line which generates a sufficient head of pressure to force liquid from the drainage system defining a wall.
The most common cause of flooding of sump systems is a large amount of rain received by the surrounding soil when the ground water level surrounding the building is unusually high. In addition, many buildings are located where the normal ground water level is normally elevated. In these situations, any influx of precipitation will result in an increased ground water saturation and inflow into the structure. The typical sump pump system is often unable to remove incoming water rapidly enough to prevent flooding. Sump system overflow can also be caused by a malfunction of the sump pump or other fluid removal device. This can be from electrical failure, motor malfunction, or flooding of a non-submersible pump.
Present devices for sump well overflow control rely on backup systems to control water inflow to the sump system. These systems often employ additional pumping capacity, increased sump well capacity, or modified drainage. However, when there is flooding, these did not prevent overflow from the sump well into the surrounding area. These devices generally use complicated and expensive systems which are subject to failure.
What is needed is a device which works automatically to prevent any sump well or sewer line overflow. The device should provide increased storage capacity and controlled drainage to prevent overflow onto the floor of the building. The present invention meets this desire.